Help from Outside
The last time you and your companions stood before the Forum, you all managed to barely avoid getting banished. But a lot of things have happened since then, and now you are in the favorable position to have just recently saved many refugees that had been left in Sharlayan's care. To have those who guide this nation of scholars willing to answer your questions is a rare honor indeed.
Best to not waste it...
Chatter and murmurs echoed from within the council chamber as S'eni and the others stood outside, waiting for their call. For all his stubbornness, Fourchenault had kept his word and called in a meeting of the Forum as soon as possible. Far quicker than they expected in fact. They had just been discussing what to do with the knowledge she had gathered from her time in Elpis, when Ojika had come to them with a request for their presence in the Rostra.
And yet they still keep us waiting... she thought dryly, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. A frown began to form on her face, and her mind began to wander back to their earlier discussion.
After regaling them with the tales of the past, the question had of course come up if Venat, as Hydaelyn, could have given up the pursuit of Meteion over the millennia and thus determined to flee Etheirys was the only option. But the Venat she had come to know, as short as that time might have been, wouldn't just give up. No, there must be another reason for all this.
"I believe She has been waiting..." Krile had said. "...For mankind's answer to Hermes's question."
Are you, Venat? S'eni asked in her mind, but of course didn't receive any reply.
"Gil for your thought?" she heard from next to her and glanced over to see Y'shtola standing there.
"I think I need to come up with a new one." She shook her head. "Just thinking about earlier. All I can do right now since..."
She pointed toward the open door. With a furrow of her brows, she added, "What can they be talking about for so long anyway?"
"Trading gossip about what this meeting could be all about, most likely," Y'shtola said with a shrug, though it was very easy to tell she was annoyed about it too.
"Of course. Not like the world is ending or anything..." S'eni muttered under her breath, causing Y'shtola's lip to quirk upward.
"I believe you understand now why Master Matoya burned so many bridges as hard as she did?"
"Oh, don't worry. I understood that the first time we stood before that lot." She released a huff and tapped her fingers on her arm. "You know that reminds me of the time she—"
S'eni stopped when Alphinaud, who had been glancing through the door all this time, turned around and said, "I have a proposal."
"What is it?" Thancred asked.
"Depending on how much the Forum is willing to tell us, I wish to make them an offer. A trade of sorts that would be to all of our advantage," the young man explained. "Would you be willing to leave the negotiations for that to me?"
They all exchanged curious looks, but really, the answer to that was crystal clear.
"Of course," Alisaie said with a smile. "You were the one to make this meeting possible in the first place."
"In that case, I will handle our queries, so that you may consider what arguments you want to present them with without distraction." Krile said.
Alphinaud smiled. "Thank you."
"If I may have your attention—" the voice of Forum speaker Barnier echoed from within the chamber, cutting through the chatter and silencing it. "—the ad hoc session will now commence."
They all turned their attention back to the door.
"The purpose of today's assembly is to address the request of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn to brief them on the great exodus," he briefly explained, before calling out, "You may enter."
"Showtime..." S'eni mumbled and pushed herself off the wall. As they made their way inside and down the stairs leading into the center of the large, circular chamber, she cast her gaze around. Not a lot of happy faces, especially from those people she knew were part of the Bibliothecs. Their earlier 'transgression' as it were must still be very much on their minds. Current events, of course, probably didn't help the mood of the council members either. Only Scholarch Montichaigne, the schoolmaster of the Studium, looked to be in relatively good spirits, but from the few times she did interact with him, that seemed to be his natural state. Being an old friend of Louisoix, and an acquaintance of Matoya, she could practically picture him having a good chuckle while those two were having one of their arguments.
Hopefully, the respect he held within the Forum would serve to their advantage again just like it did the last time.
Coming to a stop in the center, S'eni noticed from out of the corner of her eye that Alphinaud and Fourchenault were having a little staring contest that was only broken when Master Barnier began to address them directly.
"Before we begin, though, I wish to offer you our deepest gratitude for your heroic intervention on the Magna Glacies, which saved not only the Hannish refugees but fellow countrymen as well," he said. "The Satrap, too, imparts his praises. To honor the service you have done us, the Forum will do its best to answer all of your queries."
"Thank you. So allow me to start with the basics," Krile said and stepped forth. "The Forum's declared mission is to evacuate people, as well as knowledge, to the moon, away from this star and the apocalypse threatening it, correct?"
"Indeed," Fourchenault replied. "Sharlayan has labored many years for that very purpose. Said knowledge was gathered from all across the star and stored away inside the Labyrinthos and Noumenon. Moving it is the first step."
So that's why the Labyrinthos was so busy, S'eni realized. To take stock in case everything was going to get moved soon...
"While that is happening, we would divide the citizens into groups and, one after another, send them to the moon. There, they would test housing and living conditions and, should it be necessary, improve upon them," he further explained and Y'shtola, Thancred, and her exchanged a few pained looks that thankfully went unnoticed. "Once that is done, we would see to the other nations, beginning with our allies. Radz-at-Han had already been foremost among these, but since the Final Days had begun faster than anticipated, we saw fit to move forward with the evacuation of Thavnair."
"A massive undertaking..." Y'shtola said. "Do you believe you can deliver all the inhabitants of the star to safety?"
Fourchenault paused briefly, and despite the mask of diplomacy on his face, S'eni could see it darken ever so slightly. "...as much as would be possible."
"I see." Y'shtola narrowed her eyes. "And what is possible gets decided by the Forum?"
"The exodus is the most difficult undertaking in the history of this star. If we were to introduce sources of...inevitable conflict, we would risk certain doom," he replied.
S'eni bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from speaking up, her knuckles growing as she balled her hands into tight fists. He finally confirmed what she had long since suspected. Everyone not deemed fit would be left behind.
"...let us postpone the discussion about the for and against of this matter for now," Krile then said before an actual argument might break out. "I wish to inquire about the state of the project itself. From what we have heard, the most important part, the vessel to the moon, has not yet been finished?"
A series of murmurs went through the chamber at that, clearly wondering how this rather classified information must have made its way to them. If Fourchenault was surprised at this revelation, he didn't show it.
"Only in so far that it does not operate within the desired parameters, that is correct. The vessel we have worked on for so long...this ark as some have come to call it...it is certainly finished. But we have underestimated how swiftly the Final Days would spread," he said and began to explain. "The ship's engines do not reach the necessary speed, and the transfer of energy takes too much time as well. If we were to begin the evacuation process now, we would never be able to make the necessary trips back and forth. The amounts of life and knowledge lost would be catastrophic."
"That...is there nothing that can be done?" Alisaie asked.
"The aetherburner making it possible to traverse the stars is currently undergoing a series of tests. Our goal is to improve sufficiently. At the same time, we have begun loading the first shipments onboard. But, there too, we have yet to determine the maximum capacity we will be able to deliver at a time."
"In this case, how about an accord between Sharlayan and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn?" Alphinaud suddenly asked, earning himself another look by Fourchenault. "We shall help devise a means to improve the aetherburner's efficiency. If we succeed, we ask Sharlayan for two things in return. The first: a meeting with Hydaelyn."
Another series of murmurs went through the chamber. Crossing her arms, Y'shtola briefly cast her gaze across the various members of the Forum, before letting it come to rest upon Fourchenault. "Given your close relationship with the goddess, it's highly strange that Sharlayan simply abandoned the Antitower," she said. "So there can be only one explanation for it: you have another means of communicating with Her. One far more convenient, I suspect."
Having the gathered councillors on the defense now, Alphinaud stepped forward, never once looking away from his father.
"Secondly, we would like to propose the Forum another use for the ark."
More murmurs.
"A proposal?" Fourchenault asked. "Not a demand?"
"If our proposal cannot prove its merit to the ninety-nine here, then who are we to stake the lives of everyone on the star on it?"
"Hahaha..." it suddenly went through the chamber. "How utterly delightful!"
Everyone turned towards Master Montichaigne as he burst into laughter.
"A colorful bunch of young world travellers wants to solve a problem that even the greatest minds of Sharlayan could not. How charmingly outrageous!" he said after calming down, releasing a few chuckles between words. "But, that is exactly what a scholar needs! New inspiration and, of course, a fresh wind to chase off the musty smell of old theories!"
He raised his hand.
"I, for one, have great faith in my erstwhile students. I accept their terms."
The chamber practically exploded into chatter after the schoolmaster had so boldly taken the first step, his fellows immediately breaking out in debate amongst themselves. Master Barnier practically shot out of his seat, his voice drowning out the others as he called out, "Order! I said order! We have no time to waste upon debate. I call a vote. All in favor of agreeing to the Scions' terms?"
A brief moment passed, then the first councillor raised his hand, soon joined by the hand of the one next to him. More hands soon joined, and S'eni felt a wave of relief wash over her as she saw that it was far more than had previously voted in favor of their stay. In the end, even Master Barnier raised his hand. Fourchenault, of course, did not.
"Seventy-one in favor, twenty-eight against. The ayes have it," Master Barnier said, then looked towards Fourchenault. "Fourchenault, as architect of the exodus project, you are the best candidate to show them the current state. The Forum trusts that you do not let personal misgivings get in the way of your duty."
The twins' father exhaled. "...you have my word."
"Then I call this session to a close. Everyone, return to your tasks with urgency. The Final Days wait for none."
Voices filled the chamber once more as everyone began rising to their feet and leaving the chamber. Feeling the corners of her lips rise up, S'eni walked over to Alphinaud and put her arm around his shoulder, squeezing him affectionately. "Good job. Still got that diplomatic touch of yours," she said, and he released a deep breath.
"I was honestly not sure if it would work," he admitted, but nevertheless mirrored her expression, then turned towards the others. "My apologies for not letting the rest of you in on my plan. I was mostly improvising if I'm being honest. But since we require means to both communicate with Hydaelyn and reach Meteion..."
"You figured out a way to work towards both ends," Alisaie said, sending her brother a little smirk. "Very clever."
"Of course, first we need to keep our end of the bargain, but I'd like to think it won't be a challenge beyond our combined expertise. Or at least the expertise of our extended circle of associates," Alphinaud said and added with a chuckle, "Though it might help if we learn how an aetherburner works before trying to improve it!"
"Well, I don't think we will have to wait long," Thancred said and glanced at the approaching Fourchenault.
As the man came to a stop, he briefly locked eyes with his son, before turning his attention to the entire group. "As instructed, I shall take you to see the aetherburner. Meet me outside the Archeion. I trust you can make your own way there."
With that, he left with hastened steps.
"Someone's a sore loser," S'eni noted, putting a hand on her hip.
"He will just have to learn how to deal with it," Y'shtola said, eyebrows still creased and an aura of obvious annoyance radiating from her as they too began to leave.
She gave the other Miqo'te a questioning look. "You alright there?"
"You might say I'm a little vexed that we've yet to learn of Forum's replacement for the Antitower. Though I have no doubt they'll share it with us in due time—and with Master Matoya if they have any sense."
Heading down the Rostra's circular hallway, they stepped outside and headed in the direction of the lift to Labyrinthos.
"I take it she's not too happy either?" she asked.
"Would you be if you learned that the object you have been entrusted to safe keep for decades has been rendered obsolete for some time?" Her lover shot her a look and she shook her head in response. "I thought not."
"Is it so unexpected though, considering that she spent much of her time telling the Forum where to shove it?" S'eni did a little shrug. "Feels a bit like she reaped what she sowed there."
"Oh, I did point that out to her as well. She had a lot to say about it. Nothing that should be repeated in polite company, of course."
"Of course." S'eni chuckled, before pursing her lips. "Hmm, now I wonder if it was a good idea to announce myself as her latest apprentice."
"Which she has never officially acknowledged," Y'shtola pointed out.
"Eh." She waved her hand a little. "We both know I practically am."
Y'shtola giggled into her fist at that. "Just don't expect she will ever admit as much."
"Wouldn't dream of it," she said and they descended the stairs leading to the lift.
"This is it...the Central Circuit!" Alphinaud said as they stepped out of Logistikon Alpha, the facility in charge of Labyrinthos' atmospheric conditions, which also doubled as the gateway to the most secretive area of all of Sharlayan. Though a quick glance above showed that it actually wasn't that hidden from the naked eye, save for magical barriers keeping it separated from the upper levels. Which meant that most of the secret things must be happening behind closed doors...
"Please tell me we're almost there..." Alisaie groaned while brushing past her brother. "Or is there another underground level we have to reach? The Even-more-Central-Circuit, perhaps?"
"Hmm." S'eni stood on her toes and looked out into the distance. "It does seem to go further down still..."
"Oh gods..."
The sound of Fourchenault clearing his throat caught their attention and they turned to look at him. "The aetherburner is constructed not far from here. The work is overseen by Kokkol Dankkol, after whom the forge is named. This way."
They followed him to a small facility situated in a field to the south of them. Curious looks greeted them upon their arrival, soon joined by murmurs as they passed by various workers. Only one person didn't seem to take note of them: a Lalafel man who was currently busy pacing in front of the local fountain and...
"...Is he talking to himself?" Alisaie wondered.
"Looks like it," she said. "Is that...?"
"Indeed it is," Fourchenault replied, releasing an almost inaudible sigh through his nose.
"...Could it be the wirin' perhaps? No no, best not to touch that anymore..." she heard the Lalafel mutter, who soon after grabbed his head in both hands. "Gaaah, damn it all! We should've been long gone by now!"
"...Master Kokkol, my apologies for the sudden interruption—"
Kokkol yelped in surprise and whirled around, his eyes comically large as they found Fourchenault.
"Fourchenault! What is it?!" He then looked over to the rest of them. "What are all these people doin' here? Don't tell me this is already the first batch!"
"No, the plan remains unchanged, even if time is running short," the older Elezen replied. "I am here to introduce these people to you at the Forum's behest. They are to assist you in improving the aetherburner."
"Assist me, you say?" The Lalafel regarded them more thoroughly now, running his fingers through his thick mustache. "Hm. Never seen the lot of 'em before."
"Some are Archons, though none of them are specialised in your field. Nevertheless, they believe they can bring us that long-awaited breakthrough," the twins' father explained. "However, do not hesitate to dismiss them, either, should they end up disturbing you in your work."
"We won't let it come to that, I assure you," Alphinaud said with a friendly smile. "Could you tell us about the aetherburner?"
"Uh, sure, sure. Should've taken a break anyways." Kokkol scratched the back of his head a little. "So, the aetherburner. As its name implies, it uses pure aether and converts it into propulsion, which we'll need if we wish to even move so much as an ilm once we leave the star. Our star itself may be rich in aether, but the universe ain't. Still, the ark has to reliably travel between here and the moon..."
He then began to frown and looked down to the ground.
"...and that's the Coblyn's core, so to speak. According to our calculations, we need to raise the aetheric conductivity by six percent. That's the only way we can manage the required amount of flights in the time we've still left." His head snapped back up. "Only six percent, you may now say, but I'll say a whole six percent. The material used and the structural makeup of the 'burner have already been optimized to full capacity. Where in the hells am I supposed to squeeze out this blasted six percent?!"
"Hast thou asked the Loporrits for their counsel?" Urianger asked Fourchenault, who nodded.
"We have. Their engineers are looking into it, but even they say that solution will take time. Time that we do not have. The Loporrits' ark possesses a far more powerful propulsion system, yet for it to be so it also occupies a sizeable part of the moon. To adjust that technology to our...'minuscule ark', as they call it, seems to prove itself most difficult."
"It's drivin' me crazy! Every approach so far has shown no sign of success!" the Lalafel smith grabbed his head again as if in hopes that I might actually squeeze out the missing percentage that way. "Hey, you lot, if you really want to help then get me some refined adamantite."
"Refined adamantite?" G'raha tilted his head slightly. "That of the Allagans?"
"I take it you know something about it?" Y'shtola asked him.
"Sadly only some general information. It was created in the Allagan Empire, but its manufacturing process was a carefully guarded secret," he replied. "It was used in parts of Dalamud, and various records mentioned that it also was key to exploring the stars."
"Ah, yes! Exactly that!" Kokkol said, his expression immediately brightening upon realizing that G'raha knew of it. "Created with mysterious metallurgic techniques that were lost together with the Allagans. Its aetheric conductivity is phenomenal and eclipses any comparable material! I managed to incorporate a small amount of it inside the aetherburner from a piece of Dalamud we discovered in the Northern Empty. Can you believe it? This treasure just lyin' at the bottom of the sea?"
He chuckled, and a small glint entered his eyes. "Now if we could get our hands on more of that...well, then those six percent ain't lookin' that unrealistic anymore."
"Shards of Dalamud are scattered all across Eorzea. Shouldn't they be easily salvaged by the gleaners?" Alisaie asked.
"We already tasked them with that, of course, but refined adamantite was only used in very specific parts. The drive cores of the Ragnarok-class internment ships, to be precise. Accordin' to the gleaners though, you'll only find them deep inside the ships, and those are riddled with defenses eager to blow up anyone gettin' too close. Rough going in there, even for the most seasoned of gleaners. Not sure they'd make it out alive..."
"Sounds like the place where we fought Bahamut, right S'eni?" the young woman looked at her.
"Yeah. Makes it the perfect job for you," she said with a little smile.
Alisaie was less amused though. "Oh, very funny. Hah hah."
"Fine, I can go and fetch it. But if Nael shows up again you'll deal with her." No way was she having a third tussle with the White Raven if she could help it!
"In Eorzea alone there are numerous shards of Dalamud...and if we wish to salvage as much refined adamantite as possible, then simply splitting up would not be the most efficient way to go about this," Alphinaud said with a long humm, before turning towards Thancred. "You were using a special Linkpearl while scouting out Garlemald to keep in touch with Lucia and the others, correct? Is the connection still working?"
"It is. Here—" Thancred reached into his pocket and tossed it over to Alphinaud with a little grin. "—knock yourself out."
"What are you planning...?" Fourchenault asked as Alphinaud caught the Linkpearl and placed it into his ear.
"Everyone has to help gather firewood. Only that way the fire will be large enough to keep the cold and dark of the night at bay!" Alphinaud smiled and pressed on the Linkpearl. "This is Alphinaud. The Scions have a request..."
While he told Lucia and the others of the matter at hand, Y'shtola turned back towards G'raha. "Apart from the shipwrecks, do you know of any other way we might find refined adamantite?"
"It was also used in artifacts to facilitate the storage and transfer of aether. Those who survived the fall of ancient Allag are most likely in the possession of collectors or experts of the arcane."
"Is that so?" S'eni tapped her foot a few times, her brows furrowing in thought, then said, "Alphinaud, tell them to get in touch with Rowena's House of Splendors. If anyone has knowledge of any collectors, it will be her."
He nodded and proceeded to do so. After a few more exchanged words, he turned his attention to Kokkol. "Master Kokkol, is there anything you require from Othard?"
"What!? Even the Far East intends to help!?" the Lalafel exclaimed. "Well...in that case I will need some of the sacred treasures. They're able to store the vast amount of aether needed to summon a primal and would be of tremendous help in improvin' the 'burner's capacity!"
"Cirina, you most likely heard. Do you believe you can acquire them?" Alphinaud's smile grew and he nodded a few times. "Yes, we will. Thank you all, and please be careful."
"Very impressive!" Alisaie said, placing her hand on her hip.
"With that, we should have more than enough refined adamantite." The young man looked over to the rest of them. "And while our friends go about gathering it, we shall prepare everything for the next steps."
They all nodded in agreement. As they began to talk amongst themselves to see what everyone could possibly do, S'eni found her eyes wandering over to Fourchenault, who simply stood there with his eyes closed. Slowly, he opened them, letting his gaze linger on both his children, before turning around and leaving.
She moved to follow him.
Just as he was about to step out of Kokkol's Forge, S'eni managed to catch up to him. "Master Fourchenault."
He stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "Yes?"
"Where are you going?"
"The situation seems to be well in hand now, and I have other business to attend to. There is still much work to be done," he replied.
"Allow me to escort you then."
"That will not be—"
"I insist," she said and stepped up next to him. They stared at one another in heavy silence until Fourchenault averted his eyes with a deep exhale.
"Do as you wish," he said and began to walk once more. The silence immediately returned, growing heavier and heavier by the second. Neither of them had forgotten what happened that day in Gridania, but circumstances had now forced them to work together. Their survival, one way or another, hinged on it. Besides, if Alphinaud and Alisaie were fine with it, who was she to object?
"They have grown a lot," she said after what felt like hours, but were only a few minutes, casting her gaze across the planes of the Central Circuit. Fourchenault didn't say anything, so she simply continued. "I first encountered them on a carriage to Ul'dah, though I didn't really pay much attention to them, thinking them little more than traveling children. It was only later, when I met Alphinaud again, that I realized there was more to them. It's funny...that I would encounter Louisoix's grandchildren so shortly after..."
She shook her head. Her memory issues at the time weren't of importance right now.
"I see a lot of him in them. Eager to do what's right, despite the cost it entails." She sighed and, as she briefly closed her eyes, saw Louisoix's kind smile just before he had spirited her away from Carteneau; the very same he had given the twins just before the last of his primal form dissipated into aether. "...I owe him my life. It's a debt I'll never be able to repay. So all I can do is watch over the two and support them as best as I can."
To that, too, he had nothing to say, but she could occasionally feel his eyes on her as they continued onward in silence. Only when they arrived back at Logistikon Alpha, did he fully turn towards her. "S'eni, was it?"
She nodded.
"I...there is actually something I have been meaning to..." He stopped and shook his head. "No, never mind. It can wait. There are more important matters at hand."
S'eni watched as he walked over to the doors leading inside. When his hand moved to open them, she called out, "I know, it couldn't have been easy to lose Louisoix, and I have no idea of the relationship between the two of you. But for what it's worth, he would be proud of your children."
Fourchenault paused briefly, fingers resting on top of the handle. "...I know."
He stepped inside.
S'eni's eyes lingered on the building for a few moments longer, before around. Upon her return to Kokkol's Forge, she found Y'shtola waiting for her at the entrance, a curious look on her face. "I was wondering where you had wandered off to."
"Just escorting a certain Leveilleur back to Logistikon Alpha."
"I see. So how did it go?"
"Better than our last private talk," she replied. "Have I missed anything while I was gone?"
"Not in particular. Krile has gone to speak with one of her contacts, while Master Kokkol has taken it upon himself to test how extensive G'raha knowledge of Allagan technology is."
"Heh. He'll be in for a surprise."
"Meanwhile, we have chosen to assist the other scholars in any way we can. The others have already gone ahead to a nearby Hamlet. Come," Y'shtola said and they began walking away from the facility.
"Sounds like we'll be running a bunch of errands, then."
"Something you ought to be very familiar with by now." Her lover smiled teasingly.
"Can't I just go help the contingent instead?"
"And bereave us of your expertise in running to and fro?" the smile grew. "I think not."
A deep, overdramatic sigh passed her lips. "Story of my life..."
Y'shtola just laughed.